Page 52 of Out of Office

“Girl, if you don’t tell me what you wanna know...”

“But I have! I have asked you several times, and you always give me the runaround!”

“Ohhh, you figured it out, didn’t you?”

“Ahhh, so you knew A.D. Nicholson is him?!” I whisper yelled at the camera. My voice carried enough that Anibal burst into the room with Arjun, who followed behind, looking mildly amused.

“What are you screaming about and...mmm, I should have known... Anita Johnson.” Anibal strolled over to me to face the camera. He crossed his arms, glaring at the camera while Anita returned the favor. Arjun sat across my desk and shrugged apologetically.

“We were just coming to invite you to happy hour,” Arjun explained.

“Ah.” I nodded.

“So, did I just hear right? Did I hear that you have known A.D. Nicholson’s whereabouts and did not share?” Anibal accused. What the heck? He had no bone in this game. LATAM wasn’t his region anymore. And he barely cared about the expansion plans anyway; he was effective but always with that laissez-faire vibe.

This indignation was...interesting.

“Oh please, here you Americans go again. If I knew, I wouldn’t say anything. Clearly, the man retired from that career, and you all know there was some tragic reason why and you still haven’t given a flying fuck about it. Still trying to figure it out. He was never hiding. He just wasn’t doing that work anymore. I have no regrets.” She glared back at Anibal, who scoffed, but he looked chastised.

My stomach curdled at Anita’s words. All through this, we had been adamant about finding more info about who he was but...never cared to examine why he had removed himself from his career. Adrián’s words flashed through my brain and guilt prickled at me.

“Whatever. You act like you don’t like working for the Tropics. It is one of the best companies in hospitality in your country, and you know it,” Anibal retorted with a satisfied grin. Arjun and I just followed along, spectators at a tennis match.

“You really think the Tropics is the end all be all? How sad. I’m about to leave a bit early to go on a weekend trip to the beach with my fiancé. Let me guess, Anibal, will you put in some extra hours tomorrow to impress your bosses? Yeah, I thought so. You’re arguing with me when I don’t care what you think. I’m proud of everything I do, but this is my job, not my life. Tomorrow if I become a seamstress, I’ll be as proud to do that job as well. You, on the other hand... Chao!”

Anita ended the call as the winner because clearly she was unaffected, compared to Anibal, who stomped to the other seat across from my desk and threw himself there with a growl. The chair creaked under his robust weight and his frown spoke volumes. Anita’s words affected me too. To be confident that no matter where your career took you, you were proud of your accomplishments. I don’t think I’ve ever had that conviction. My sense of self has so long been tied to my career path that if I needed to detangle both, I was afraid of what I’d have left. The realistic side of me asserted that I’d done everything right. I was successful, climbing the corporate rungs, and soon would be in a position to expand this world for other people like me. The pang of envy that resonated inside of me at Anita’s last words told me that deep inside, I wanted more. I craved more. Good for Anita for knowing what she wanted unapologetically.

“Damn. She really is leaning into you not being her boss anymore.” I grinned, attempting to lighten things up.

“Man, I always thought you had your shit together...until today.” Arjun clapped Anibal on the back. “Now I know you’re human like the rest of us. And with that, I’m going to head out to meet everyone else for happy hour. See y’all there?”

“Nah.” We both responded at the same time, and Arjun chuckled and left.

“What the fuck was that, bossy boss?” I rounded on Anibal as soon as Arjun walked away.

“I have no idea.” He ran his hand over his curls, clearly flustered. Anita’s words lingered in the back of my mind, and I couldn’t wait to get home and speak with Adrián.

Once Anibal left the office, I started packing up to go home when Ricard stormed into the room.

“We need to have an emergency meeting. I just caught Anibal in his office. The executive office wants the GM meeting’s focus next week to shift to expansion.”

My heart sank as Ricard walked me through the changes, knowing it would be a long night and a long weekend.

Years ago, I’d have been thrilled by the challenge, excited to work the long hours to come but now... I didn’t know if this was what fulfilled me anymore, and it filled my heart with fear and trepidation.

Was this Adrián’s influence, or was this in me before him?

I texted him the news and went into the boardroom to work with the team, who all looked pissed to be there on a Friday night.

For the first time in my career, I was pissed to be there too.

Twenty-Two

Adrián

A weekend to spend in my thoughts while supporting Genevieve. Her work demanded all her attention, and knowing how mind-and body-consuming working long hours could be, I made sure to be her cheerleader during the quiet times.

“So, you’re just gonna spoil me the whole day?” Gen asked on Sunday as I brought her a plate loaded with mini sandwiches, chips, and grapes. I set the obligatory cup of black coffee next to her and planted a kiss on her forehead.

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